Chapter 495: March 7th, the Custom Emoji Printing Press, Premium Member of the Art of Giving Up Thinking
"Thank you to Boss [ Critical Hit ] for the super chat!"
"Galaxy Rangers, huh… Maybe after the main story of Honkai: Star Rail is finished, this little Guinaifen will consider joining too!"
"Those folks feel so cool!"
"Ahem…"
"Alright, let's get back to the main quest!"
"Just now, Boothill successfully infiltrated the Slumbernana Monkey Club. Robin temporarily stepped away, because… some extraordinary measures are bound to be necessary next."
"Let's see what Boothill is going to do!"
…
Boothill looked around.
Yet here, aside from the club members who had come to participate in the interactive session, there wasn't anything unusual.
Not even a single Slumbernana Monkey was in sight!
Just as Boothill turned to investigate another area, lines of text suddenly materialized in front of him.
[ They aided the wicked. Their deaths are well deserved. ]
Boothill sneered coldly.
He blurted out, "Holy shirt, what in the fudge is this? A welcome ceremony already arranged for me?"
"Fine by me. Bring it on. One ninja infiltrator around here is more than enough."
He took two steps forward, and fresh text generated again!
[ This bullet will hit you sooner or later. ]
[ Just you wait and see, Oswaldo. ]
"Son of a nice lady… Wait a minute… Is this about me?"
Right as Boothill realized it, colorful visual effects instantly covered the entire screen!
Phantom after phantom of Slumbernana Monkeys danced back and forth in the background!
The memetic attack—
It was here!
Up ahead, a figure stood motionless!
Boothill gritted his teeth.
He drew his gun!
He intended to blast the culprit right between the eyes!
Just as his finger was about to squeeze the trigger, the figure let out a shrill scream!
"Whoa, whoa, wait, HOLD ON—!"
The person ahead wasn't some heinous villain.
It was a panicked March 7th!
"Waaaah…"
"Are the consequences of skipping a single class really this severe?!"
Her voice even carried a hint of a sob!
Because she was so terrified, her entire face flushed bright red, utterly filled with sheer grievance!
…
[ The poor kid is crying from fear.
MARCH IS SO CUTE!!!
I've heard of losing credits for skipping class, but this is the first time I've heard of losing your life for it.
March is hilarious, cute, and makes my heart ache all at once, hahaha.
Wah, don't cry, little March! Mama loves you pat pat pat
Screenshot successful! Hehe, a new March 7th sticker is born!
So March 7th got internally recommended by her Slumbernana Monkey Club classmate and ended up here?
Who dares bully our little March! (hands on hips)
I will protect March 7th's aggrieved expression at all costs! ]
…
At the Paperfold University venue.
March 7th stared dumbfounded.
She hadn't expected to make her re-entrance in such a fashion!
Her voice had even cracked a bit when she shrieked…
"Isn't this way too pathetic? Too goofy?!"
Shouldn't she have whipped out her bow immediately, forming a tense standoff with Boothill?!
And then the screen would split in half, with special effects highlighting both of their expressions, accentuating their cool, resolute demeanors?!
"Why am I so weak, crying like a little girl?!"
"Back at the Herta Space Station, facing the Doomsday Beast, I charged right in with my bow drawn!"
"What is this supposed to be?!"
"Feathered Spirit, your plot is totally out of character!"
Beside her, Stelle wore a meaningful smile.
She patted March 7th on the shoulder and said, "Well, everyone understands, really."
"After all, back on the space station, the Astral Express crew was all together; you had the grownups backing you up."
"Now, you're out investigating all on your own…"
"It makes sense that you'd appear a bit timid and cautious."
March 7th scratched her hair. "That sounds kind of reasonable…"
"Wait, no!"
"You're implying that I'm the weakest on the Express, aren't you?!"
"I am the bowmaster of the Astral Express! I'll kill you!~"
Stelle quickly shot her a look. "Don't mess around; the players behind us are watching."
"Whatever! This lady doesn't care about image or face anymore!"
Suddenly, Guinaifen's surprised gasp came through the livestream!
"Why did March 7th's name change to this?"
March 7th hastily stopped her antics and looked at the big screen!
In the current story, her name had actually changed to: [ Slumbernana Monkey Club, Talent 244 March 7th ].
She was currently leading Boothill around, introducing him to the other club members.
It seemed the misunderstanding from earlier had already been resolved.
Moreover, she was doing quite well for herself in the club!
She was on the verge of infiltrating deep into enemy territory!
She truly was a natural intelligence operative!
Her optimistic mindset played no small part in allowing her to remain unscathed and preserve her pure innocence after setback upon setback.
"Hahaha, I'm dying here, fam."
"This quest description totally exposes Boothill's inner monologue!"
Guinaifen opened the quest interface.
Two short lines of text appeared before all the players:
[ Well, well. The Nameless gal from last time is here, too. Her partner says someone here has seen a genuine Slumbernana Monkey. You're curious whether the difference between a real monkey and a fake one is bigger than the difference between you and the real Pom-Pom. ]
[ Probably not, but you might as well check it out. Gathering some intel before pulling the trigger is never a bad idea. ]
"Uh-oh, our conductor has become a body double!" March 7th teased, though an unholy smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.
However, very soon, she could no longer smile.
"Sir… You look unfamiliar, but you probably aren't an ordinary member, right?" Assistant Nana 71 asked Boothill.
"That's right. Y'all said I've got talent."
"Huh? Talent in what…?"
Boothill grinned broadly. "I'm a Talent-tier member, ID# 244 March 7th."
March 7th's jaw dropped so wide she could have stuffed her own fist inside!
The bullet chat rolled furiously across the screen!
…
[ Starting right now, yours truly is March 7th!
If you're March 7th, then who am I? Pom-Pom?
Little March: I think I finally understand how Dan Heng felt last time.
Uh-oh, March 7th just got body-doubled!
As expected of a seasoned wanderer, this whole routine is so smooth!
Borrowing an identity right in front of the actual person without batting an eye!
See? That's what you call a professional.
Boothill probably thinks linking with the Assistant Nana carries risks, so he's planning to shoulder it himself.
Boothill is playing along with the mastermind's act right now. Once the real culprit shows their true colors, he'll just blast them with love—simple as that!
Ol' Boothill, so cool!
Boothill is actually very sharp. March isn't much for deep thinking, but her intuition is spot on. ]
…